honey honey
by jynxhasadragon
Summary: the cryptarchy is after valas yet again, and adelaide is starting to grow tired of them pressing charges against her fireteam-mate. valas could care less. [one-shot, complete]


**just a short one-shot i did while on a road trip. i suppose i should give some character info.**

**valas quor - reefborn awoken, former criminal and member of the spider's syndicate. frequently steals from the cryptarchy and often gets away with it. gunslinger. 5'6".**

**adelaide haase - earthborn awoken, praxic warlock and a stickler for the rules. hotheaded and tends to take out her anger in the crucible. stormcaller. 4'9".**

xxx

He's neck-deep and drowning in his own problems, and Valas knows it. The Spider's offers were tempting as always, but he couldn't so much as look in the old coot's direction with the Vanguard breathing down his neck and the Cryptarchy hell bent on catching him on anything remotely related to them. Adelaide's recent attitude towards him was not helping either, to be more than honest. He does his best to ignore the issues, though.

Valas swung his feet onto the small coffee table in front of him before taking another swig of his drink. Not alcoholic—at least, for Awoken; he didn't need a rant from Adelaide about his supposed "drinking habits". He could stop whenever he wanted to, regardless of what the prissy little lady told him.

He narrowed his eyes slightly before setting his can down on the table as the door swung open rather forcefully. Speak of the devil and she doth appear. He yawned rudely, not bothering to take his foot off of the table. _Not in the mood for this, _he thought.

"Valas Quor, you will not set foot near the Cryptarchy or any member thereof ever again or so help me god!" she growled as she shoved a small multitude of papers and folders into his face. He only grinned lackadaisically in response before folding his hands behind his head.

"And they know it was me how, exactly?" he asked.

_"Ooh, that's just gonna make her mad, dude,"_ Skipper said quietly. The Ghost was currently resting atop one of Adelaide's many bookshelves, watching the scene below with an amused eye.

As Valas' Ghost had predicted, Adelaide began to show the symptoms of her short anger. Her cheeks became dusted in a pretty shade of blue, and she looked almost comical standing before him in her petite four-foot-nine frame, with her fists clenched and looking about ready to murder someone. Most likely himself, Valas noted with a small smirk.

"I don't care as to why they think it's you," she growled, "because so long as they are suspicious thereof _I cannot finish my own damn job."_

"That's a yikes," he replied lazily. "Did you need something?" he asked as he began slowly stacking her papers.

Adelaide huffed before collapsing in the cushions beside him. She hadn't bothered to take off her shoes, Valas noted. Ironic, considering how she nagged him about "tracking mud into the kitchen". He never tracked mud into the kitchen.

"No?" he asked. She didn't reply, so he just set her folder beside his drink.

Adelaide set her foot against the edge of the table, hooking her heel against the lip as she frowned. Valas resisted the urge to grin at her small size—she wouldn't try to put her feet on top of the table, she was too short for that—and instead nudged her with his elbow.

"What?" she asked, annoyance seeping into her voice.

"You tired or somethin'?"

"Tired of the bull," she grumbled in response.

He snorted. "Right. A fine job you chose, yeah? Good luck avoiding the shit in that."

Adelaide glared daggers at him. "I'm not talking about the Praxic Order, Valas, and you know that."

"They seem pretty full of bull to me. Don't know how you stand 'em," he stated with a shrug.

"Unlike you, I was not previously a wanted criminal," she murmured before sitting up with a huff and grabbing his drink.

"Hey-"

"Too late," she interrupted before taking a sip. Her face scrunched up in disgust after she swallowed. "How do you drink that? It's so strange," she said as she placed the can back on the table.

"Comes with being Reefborn," Valas said with a shrug. "Makes sense as to why you don't like it."

Adelaide shook her head slowly before brushing off her robes. She looked almost doll-like with her steel blue hair and her pink robes, but he wouldn't tell her that. Valas stood after watching her a moment more before picking up the mostly-empty can and leaving for the kitchen.

"What did you find in the Cryptarchy's stores, by the way?" Adelaide called as he downed the rest of the drink and tossed the can into the bin.

"Nothing much," he replied as he grabbed a cup from beside the sink and filled it with cold sweet tea. "One of those crystals Cayde and his little group had been after, yeah, but they've got several already," he continued as he headed back, tea in hand. "Besides, I already have one," he finished with a slight grin.

Adelaide took the cup with mumbled thanks as he seated himself beside her. She had taken the papers out again, sorting through them as a slight frown painted her face. "You didn't happen to take that one off their records, did you?" she asked him. Valas shrugged as he placed his chin on her shoulder.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. Maybe I actually thought things through and decided not to touch the records."

Adelaide gave him a look. "If you thought things through, you wouldn't have taken the crystal in the first place," she said matter-of-factly.

Valas scoffed. "That's no fun."

"Right."

They fell into a comfortable silence after that—Adelaide reviewing her documents while Valas watched her silently scribbling notes in the margins. She was pretty in a petite sort of way, what with her carefully styled hair framing her pale face. She mumbled to herself as she read. Her whispers were oddly soothing, even if they were about legal contracts and complaints on his behaviour from the Cryptarchy.

"Did you fall asleep?" Adelaide murmured as she flipped to the next page. Valas grunted quietly in response as he glanced up at her once again.

"Nah," he said as he took her hand and squeezed it gently. She squeezed back unconsciously before she caught herself.

"What?" Adelaide asked him.

"Nothin'."

"Valas."

He grinned and gave her hand another squeeze before settling back into her shoulder. "You're pretty," he said simply.

She frowned slightly at that before she shook her head and continued with her papers. She was blushing, Valas noted. Maybe he'd stay and tease her a bit.

He wasn't going to get anything done just sitting here all day, though. He _did_ have those bounties that needed finishing. Maybe she would spare him a few days.

Who was he kidding? Despite living in the same apartment, they really did not see each other as often as people thought. She'd probably be gone by the time he'd be done. Oh well.

"You leaving?" Adelaide murmured.

Valas frowned. "How'd you know?"

"You're making that face again."

He huffed in response, albeit mostly for show. He wasn't very surprised, in all honesty. Adelaide was like that, always catching onto patterns and body language and whatnot.

He pressed a kiss to her temple before he stood to stretch. Was he feeling confident? Perhaps. Adelaide paused as he did so, trying to process his action. Valas only grinned.

"Gonna do some bounties n' stuff. Be back in a few days, 'kay?" he said. Valas barely caught Adelaide's nod.

"You gonna be back by then?" he asked when she didn't respond. Had his show of affection caught her off guard? Most likely.

"Maybe," she said after a moment. A light blush tinged Adelaide's face despite her efforts to hide it.

Valas hummed in acknowledgement as he slipped off to his room to gather his things. Skipper trailed behind him lazily.

"What was that about?" the Ghost asked as Valas snapped on his belt and holster.

"I like short girls," he replied simply.

Skipper snorted. "Right, and I'm Oryx' cousin. No you don't, Valas."

He rolled his eyes as he tugged a matterweave shirt on, ignoring the dull ache in his shoulder. Skipper's green shell twisted slowly as he transmatted in Valas' armor and helm. He put it on in silence, having nothing to discuss.

Valas left the room as he scrolled through his partially finished bounties. He had a lot from Shaxx and the Drifter. Maybe he'd go get a few rounds of Gambit in first. And Adelaide had her list of materials she wanted. He recognized a few—namely, queensfoil, hadium, and wormspore—after having smuggled several shipments of each for the Spider and several members of the Consensus in his earlier years.

Maybe that was why the Cryptarchy and the Consensus didn't like him much.

"Headed out?"

Adelaide was in the kitchen now, lazily rinsing out the cup Valas had given her.

"Yeah," he said.

Adelaide nodded slowly after she set the cup down and dried her hands, clearly tired after her long day. Meetings, most likely.

Valas blinked as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. This was new.

"I'm going to stay here for a few days," she mumbled.

He nodded slowly as he gave Adelaide a quick squeeze. "I'll try to make it quick. Is that all you wanted?"

Adelaide huffed as she slid off of him, her mouth twisted slightly in distaste. "_No_, that's not what I want right now, Valas."

He blinked. "What-"

"'I like short girls?' The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Valas paused as he watched her. Shore's blood, she was pretty. "I-"

"Do I want to know?"

"I-I'm not sure," Valas stuttered. "I meant just you."

Adelaide was still frowning. Fuck.

"I'm- I'm gonna go now, 'kay?" he said as he turned to leave.

"No, you're not," Adelaide mumbled as she pulled him back. For a woman of her stature, she was surprisingly strong.

Valas blinked as she pressed her lips against his in a quick kiss. Adelaide was blushing wildly when she backed away, a fact he took mild amusement in. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and she was standing on the tips of her toes to reach his height. She did so only barely.

"Should I leave, or…?" he asked hesitantly.

"No. Yes. I…"

"I'm not sure I follow," he murmured with a smile as he bent down to kiss her again.

Her lips were surprisingly soft. It was to be expected, he supposed. She took care of herself. There was a slight taste of iron on her lips. Or his. Probably his—he was prone to cracked lips.

Adelaide nearly melted in his arms as he kissed her. He could feel her lashes flutter against his cheek briefly and he smiled. She pulled away a moment later, her face flush and mere inches away from his.

"We need to talk after you get back," she murmured as she nestled her face into his shoulder.

"Yeah."

"I'm _so _getting fired for this."

"Yeah, probably."


End file.
